Mayweather vs. Mosley?: Don't Count Your Chickens Before the Match
Could it be true? Could Floyd Mayweather Jr. actually be setting the stage to take on a legitimate, top-notch welterweight?
Following the highly controversial and now infamous fallout of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fiasco, Floyd has inadvertently managed to negotiate himself into an especially awkward position.
Tickets are selling at record pace as Pacquiao prepares to tangle with the tough, capable, and ready Joshua Clottey on March 13 in Dallas.
As it turns out, the phrase “Mega-Fight” is still a legitimate term to describe Pacquiao’s next bout, even despite the fact that the name “Mayweather” is absent from the title.
Meanwhile Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions have been scrambling to find an opponent who is worthy enough to hush the critics who say that Floyd has been ducking the most viable opponents for a fighter of his caliber.
At first it was reported that Mayweather would keep his March 13 appointment at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas—setting up a head-to-head pay per view battle against his arch-nemesis, Manny Pacquiao.
Matthew Hatton and Paulie Malignaggi were both mentioned early on. Neither would have generated much interest.
No disrespect to the afore mentioned boxers, but had either of the two been chosen, the result would have been nothing more than another exhibition match allowing Mayweather the opportunity to showcase his superiority over another severely outclassed opponent.
The glory of Mayweather—Marquez faded quickly.
Boxing fans who understand and appreciate Mayweather's talent level were quick to clarify their lack of interest in another grossly mismatched contest.
Interestingly, another name that came up was that of undefeated, 19 year old Mexican fighter, Saul Alvarez. That must have been a joke, right?
Not according to Alvarez.
While Golden Boy’s CEO Richard Schaefer denied that Alvarez was ever seriously considered, Alvarez went on record stating otherwise.
"Richard Schaefer offered that fight to my coach.” Alvarez said. “I believe that it is a difficult commitment, but I truly felt that I wouldn't have anything to lose. Mayweather is a difficult opponent and one must be in the proper form to beat him."
Although Alvarez was eager to take the fight, his team wisely declined the offer.
Currently, Mayweather and Golden Boy are in negotiations with Shane Mosley for a possible May 1 battle.
According to Michael Marley of The Examiner , both camps say that the negotiations are progressing very well.
When referring to the talks between Team Mayweather and Team Mosley, both camps seem to have agreed upon “cordial” as the adjective of choice.
On Tuesday evening, Oscar De La Hoya said:
"Is that fight going to happen? I'm confident it will."
If Mayweather wants to continue to be a big draw, he needs to fight an opponent who can give him a run for his money .
Shane Mosley can do just that. Although he definitely won’t be the betting favorite going into the fight, he certainly won’t be a pushover.
At 39 years of age and a record of 46-5 with 39 knockouts, Mosley is currently ranked as the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
It’s a rare time in boxing—a time when the top three pound-for-pound ring-kings happen to be in the same weight class. That’s a fact that all parties involved need to capitalize upon.
If the “cordial” negotiations result in an actual fight, Mayweather will gain back a measure of respect as a boxer—even if his inherent lack of people skills never wins him any popularity contests with the general public.
Mayweather vs. Mosley could be a great fight if it happens, and everyone would like to see the winner take on the winner of Pacquiao vs. Clottey. But fans should be advised to wait for the official announcement before getting too excited.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Anything could [not] happen [again] at this point.
